Today’s topic, what would it take for your MC’s best friend to turn on them.

For true, and because I created her, Cece would never betray Loren, either personally or professionally. In a scene from One Fire Burns, Cece talks to Graham about what she thought of Loren when they first met:

“When I was 10 years old, I saved this dog from some berk who’d been beatin’ the poor thing. I brought her home and cleaned her up and don’t you know, my Lady was the best dog a lonely girl ever had.” Cece brushed a knuckle under her nose. “But when I’d try to pet her, she’d shy away from me at first, because she thought I was going to hit her. Loren reminded me of my Lady. Who she is now, I tell ya, it didn’t come easy. She was rage personified.” She looked him in the eye. “You remember La Route?”

“Yes,” Graham replied, shuddering.

“Imagine that, every single time trial,” she said. “She thought she needed to prove she was good enough to be with us.” She shrugged. “But, she won the World Cup that year, and while losing Gabi took her down a bit, faffing about with Haskins and Jack Thompson taking her to task for the winter, she was set to be Marisol’s second.” Cece cringed. “And then she broke her collar bone and it all fell to shit again.”

“But she met Miriam,” Graham countered, and Cece squinted at him.

“Aye, Miriam was able to turn her around. James Parker, as well.”

“And you, anamchara,” he said and winked. She ducked her head, her cheeks turning a darker red under her sunburn.

“Aw bugger, she told you about that?”

On the other hand, teammate Ingrid Jorgensen wasn’t as close, although Loren thought they had a more solid friendship, evidenced by the following excerpt from Wheeler:

“When you’re in the room no one else exists!” Ingrid moved closer. “Jack promised I would be team leader but then Felix came, and he gave it to you, and we all know why,” she sneered, her eyes flicking to Holly. “Oh, I’m sorry, you didn’t know our fearless leader was sleeping with him?” Cece gasped and took a step toward Loren. A myriad of emotions flashed over her friend’s face, only to harden to ice.

“If you believe that, you’re not the friend I thought you were.” She turned on her heel and exited, shoving the door hard.